As Mandela struggles for life, can his fading dream be revived?
Re: “Neither peace, nor reconciliation; Equality eludes post-apartheid South Africa,” by Jonathan Manthorpe, Commentary, June 11. I’ve always followed with great interest any news from South Africa, but especially reports about its venerable first black president, Nelson Mandela.
Mandela has been my hero since I was a child, when I learned that in a mostly black country, whites were treating the blacks as inferior and using them as slaves.
I was one of the lucky Canadians who helped with South Africa’s historic 1994 election that gave blacks their rightful place at the ballot box. Over the last 19 years I’ve watched how all South Africans have adjusted to their new realities.
We knew the transition would be hard. The blacks want everything that was denied them for centuries; the whites want to keep control of the country.
The hope that was almost tangible in the air on April 27, 1994, when the old flag came down and the new one went up, seems to have disappeared. In fact, according to columnist Jonathan Manthorpe, it has plummeted to an all-time low.
The greatest source for that hope was Mandela. Stories of his courage and fortitude against unbelievable odds have a treasured place in our history books.
Instead of using his new powers to retaliate for all the wrongs done against blacks, President Mandela asked everyone to work together to make South Africa a better country. Everyone was motivated by his genuine concern for all South Africans — whether black, white, Asian or coloured — and by his unselfish example of forgiveness and reconciliation.
But sadly, his unbelievable success story seems to have been almost forgotten.
Perhaps his vision and hope for his beloved nation will again be remembered as the media keep us informed of his frail health. Every article, every photo, every remembrance can help to encourage his people to strive for a better South Africa.
Canadians also can honour Mandela by remembering his love for his people and his dream of peace and reconciliation, and by sending South Africa all the encouragement we can offer.